Fentanyl

Examples

Fentanyl is available as a skin patch, lozenge, pills, shots, a film that dissolves in your mouth, nasal spray, or by IV (intravenous).

Use fentanyl exactly as prescribed by your doctor. This is very important so
that you do not get too much of the drug. If you get too much fentanyl in your
system, you could have serious problems that can lead to death.

How It Works

Fentanyl acts upon specific receptors in
your brain and spinal cord to decrease the feeling of pain and to reduce your
emotional response to pain. The action of fentanyl is similar to other drugs in
the morphine category (opioids).

Why It Is Used

Fentanyl is used to manage moderate to
severe pain, usually in people who have chronic pain. It may also be used for breakthrough pain. Fentanyl is often used
when your other pain medicines no longer work.

How Well It Works

For people with cancer who are
already on opioid pain medicine such as morphine or oxycodone, fentanyl works
well for treatment of cancer pain.1

You can
prevent constipation at home. Make sure you drink
enough fluids. Most adults should drink between 8 and 10 glasses of water or
noncaffeinated beverages each day. Include fruits, vegetables, and fiber in
your diet each day.

Fentanyl can cause your body to
expect this medicine daily (drug dependency). Dependency is not the same as addiction, which is a behavioral
disorder marked by craving a drug.

Reasons not to use fentanyl

Fentanyl can cause
serious or life-threatening respiratory problems (hypoventilation). For that
reason it should not be used in:

Cancer patients who have not been taking
continuous opioid pain medicines.

The management
of pain that responds to other pain medicine.

Doses greater than 25
mcg per hour at the beginning of opioid therapy.

See Drug Reference for a full list of side effects.
(Drug Reference is not available in all systems.)

What To Think About

In some people, fentanyl impairs
balance, coordination, or the ability to think. Do not drive or operate any
type of equipment if you are taking fentanyl. If you have severe side
effects, call your doctor, and stop taking this medicine.

Do not drink alcohol or use other
drugs while you are taking fentanyl.

Fentanyl can interact with
many other drugs. Make sure that your doctor is aware of all the medicines you
are taking.

Fentanyl should be used during pregnancy only if the
benefits to the mother outweigh the risks to the fetus. If you are or may be
pregnant, talk with your doctor before using fentanyl. This drug can pass
through your body in breast milk and should not be used if you are
breast-feeding.

When you remove your fentanyl patch, dispose of it as your doctor tells you to.

Avoid the use of heat, such as a heating pad, electric
blanket, hot tub, or sauna, while you are using a fentanyl patch. Heat can
increase the amount of fentanyl released from the patch, which causes more risk
of serious side effects.